"Where's the Empire of Love?" He's at Ninho do Urubu, preparing for Flamengo's debut in the Copa Libertadores da América, Wednesday at 21:50 p.m., at the Maracanã stadium. Oblivious to the songs mocking Flamengo's elimination in the semifinals of the first round of the Campeonato Carioca, sung by Vasco and Botafogo fans in the Taça Guanabara final, Emperor Adriano is only interested in winning the international competition.

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Adriano assured that the duo with Vagner Love isn't the least bit fazed by the opponent's teasing. According to him, it's part of football, but nothing will dampen the duo's motivation. For the number 10, the work is being done very well, and the duo will prove their quality in the Libertadores.

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"Two players with the experience we have will certainly get on our case and be sarcastic when the result doesn't happen, but that doesn't affect us. We're aware that the work is being done well and it just so happened that we suffered a defeat," he explained.

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The Emperor also took the opportunity to comment on statements recently published in the Italian press. Adriano reiterated that he doesn't care about money and said that what matters is his happiness—which he found at Flamengo. The striker emphasized, however, that he isn't yet thinking about his post-Libertadores career.

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"I haven't thought about the future yet. What I'm thinking about now is winning the Libertadores. Then I'll think about what my life will be like. Money alone doesn't matter. What I said is that today I'm more mature and could even return to Europe, but I didn't mean I'm leaving Flamengo. I'm not worried about it right now. I want happiness, not money, and everything will be resolved in due time," he concluded.